An envelope from the Indian Agency, out of Buffalo, Missouri. Colonel Walter Gamel came from a long
An envelope from the Indian Agency, out of Buffalo, Missouri. Colonel Walter Gamel came from a long line of heads of the Indian Agency following John Gamel, Walter, and Ralph. In 1831, George Washington Gamel became the first Gamel to settle in Missouri after leaving Tennessee. He ordered several wagonloads of cut logs from a sawmill in Rolla and they were hauled to the Buffalo, area and used to construct a home. His son, John, who was Randy’s great-great-grandfather, was the first in a line of Gamels to serve as an Indian agent. Originally, Indian agents in this country fell under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Army. Later they were part of the Department of the Interior. Now, all agents work for the tribes. John started what is now known as the MOARLA Indian Agency in 1882, contracting with the Five Civilized Tribes in Indian Territory. That contract runs for 175 years. The Five Civilized Tribes are the Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek and Seminole. John Gamel served as the Indian agent for 20 years and his territory was Oklahoma and New Mexico. Then his son, Walter, whose first wife was Cherokee, served in that capacity for most of 50 years with his territory being Oklahoma and Texas. His son, Ralph Sr. took on the job after that, serving for 20 years with his territory being the state of Oklahoma. -- source link
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